What's Covered

There's no limit on the amount of blood or number of transfusions Medicare will cover.

If you have a Medicare Part C Medicare Advantage plan:Medicare Part C Medicare Advantage plans, also called Medicare Advantage plans, must cover everything that's included in original Medicare Part A and Part B coverage. But sometimes a Part C plan covers more, with extra services or an expanded amount of coverage. (Co-payments for Part C plans may also be different than those for Part A or Part B.) To find out whether your plan provides extra coverage or requires different co-payments for blood transfusions, contact the plan directly.

What Medicare Pays

Neither Medicare Part A nor Medicare Part B pays for the first three pints of blood a patient receives, in any setting, during a calendar year.

After the first three pints within a calendar year, the cost of inpatient blood transfusions are part of the total hospital-covered or skilled nursing facility-covered charges paid by Medicare Part A, for which yearly deductible and coinsurance amounts apply.

After the first three pints within a calendar year, Medicare Part B pays 80 percent of the Medicare-approved amount for outpatient blood transfusions.

Important: Regardless of the rules regarding any particular type of care, in order for Medicare Part A, Medicare Part B, or a Medicare Part C plan to provide coverage, the care must meet two basic requirements:

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